William F. Snook Contracting

William Floyd Snook (1864-1940) was a contractor and builder in Ames between 1916 and 1940. Mr. Snook was born in 1864 in Adrian, Ohio and moved to Mt. Carroll, Illinois in 1881. There he married Adella May Sisler in 1890, and together they raised two daughters: Neta Snook Southern, and Vivian Snook Smedal. In Mt. Carroll, Mr. Snook was a barber, building contractor, furniture maker, Supervisor for Mt. Carroll Township, and alderman. He built a number of residences and owned the newspaper building there. For a time he was in the bicycle business, manufacturing his own wheels and doing repair work. In addition, he had an apiary at his home. He enjoyed memberships in the I.O.O.F and Knights of Pythias. After several moves between Mt. Carroll and Ames, the Snook family settled permanently in Ames in 1916, residing at 828 Wilson Avenue. William and May's daughter, Neta Snook, the early Ames pilot moved to California and worked as a flight instructor, eventually teaching Amelia Earhart how to fly.

Ames Historical Society is fortunate in having the examples of Mr. Snook’s carpentry tools, books, and business machines courtesy of Karsten Smedal and Kären Smedal John.